Chapter 130: Tang Clan's Paper Flower

The Imperial Censor clutched the back of his neck, looking apoplectic.

His flesh was thick and doughy; Qing suspected just a little more provocation might genuinely cause him to collapse from sheer stress. She was just about to push him further when—

“That will be enough.”

"The high-ranking Embroidered Uniform Commander, Wei Zhihui Qianshi, who had been standing silently with an imposing air until now, suddenly intervened, his voice calm but firm."

“Imperial Censor, please calm yourself as well. Is this not merely the crude trickery of a young, ill-mannered girl?”

Qing, however, had absolutely no intention of ending things there.

In this kind of confrontation, the one with the loudest, most persistent voice ultimately seized victory.

She took a deep breath, preparing to unleash another volley—

Just then, a brilliant sphere of light subtly formed and coalesced above Commander Wei’s open palm, pulsed once, then silently faded away.

It was Force Compression—the symbol, the pride, the very crystallization of reaching the Unrestrained Realm.

Qing, being consistently pragmatic (cowardly) in her approach to powerful opponents, did not stand boldly against this display. Instead, as always, she instantly deflated, shrinking back slightly.

Wait, what the hell?!

I was just starting to think maybe I could handle someone barely in the Transcendent Realm, and now some random Unrestrained Realm asshole shows up to block my path?!

Where do all these ridiculously high-level masters keep popping out from?!

(Qing didn't know it, but it would actually have been far stranger if Commander Wei, the third highest-ranking officer in the entire Embroidered Uniform Guards—the Emperor’s elite personal force, carefully cultivated by the Imperial Palace for generations—hadn't reached the Unrestrained Realm.)

At this clear demonstration of superior strength, Qing prudently decided to back down.

Having already thoroughly enjoyed herself verbally thrashing the Censor, she didn't feel particularly disappointed about ending the exchange now anyway.

However, the person who had just been subjected to Qing’s delightful brand of verbal abuse clearly felt differently.

“You wench!” the Imperial Censor roared, finding his voice again now that he had backup. “You absolute bitch! Is that truly all you learned from your parents?! Vile slander and foul-smelling lies?!”

Unfortunately for him, it was another grand swing and a total miss.

Attacking Qing’s parentage was utterly ineffective.

She didn’t even know if she had parents in the conventional sense.

For all she knew, her body might have just spontaneously coalesced from ambient energy in some damp cave, or perhaps her consciousness had simply woken up inhabiting a conveniently discarded corpse.

The only thing she knew for certain—thanks to the lack of any other lingering presence during the Heavenly Demon’s mental invasion—was that she hadn't stolen this body from another living girl.

Qing just smiled brightly, almost dazzlingly, and replied cheerfully,

“Actually, this body doesn’t have any parents that I know of! So, technically, I couldn’t have learned anything from them!”

The Imperial Censor immediately seized upon this apparent admission.

“An orphan bitch, were you?! I knew it! No wonder you’re so twisted! Bah! Even I would have abandoned a crazy child like you at birth!”

“Maybe,” Qing conceded thoughtfully, “but honestly? Isn’t being abandoned probably still better than having parents who apparently enjoyed getting it on with pigs? Seriously, how could someone even live with that level of shame, knowing their mother or father was a pig-fucker? If that were me, I think I would have drowned myself in dishwater—no, wait, this is the Censor’s family we’re talking about, so probably drowned myself face-first in a trough of pig slop—and committed suicide long, long ago.”

“Eeeeek…!” the Censor choked, speechless with rage again.

“Hey everyone!” Qing called out to the still-gathered crowd. “What do you all think?! Would you rather live as the son of a woman who enthusiastically spread her legs for swine, or just live freely as a carefree orphan?! Let’s take a vote!”

In a way, Qing’s attitude demonstrated the posture of a true martial artist: knowing when to retreat. She immediately backed down when faced with Commander Wei’s superior strength (Unrestrained Realm).

The Imperial Censor, on the other hand, kept trying to pick a fight despite being hopelessly outmatched verbally, unable to even recoup his initial losses, just floundering deeper and deeper.

Commander Wei finally stepped forward again.

“I believe I said that was enough.” His voice was quiet but carried undeniable authority.

“Hey!” Qing protested immediately, turning to Wei. “How come when the Pig—no wait, Dong Zhuo [^(Tyrannical Han Warlord)]—no wait, Zhu Bajie [^(Pigsy from Journey to the West)]—no wait, I mean His Excellency the Censor was spouting nonsense earlier, you just stood there silently? But the moment I start talking, you get all low-voiced and intimidating? Hehe,” she added quickly, seeing his expression harden, “Okay, okay, I’ll shut up now.”

Qing obediently closed her mouth, adopting an expression of perfect innocence.

However, she continued to stare directly at the Censor, her face radiating bright, cheerful, utterly insincere smiles, a relentless psychological attack aimed squarely at his already dangerously high blood pressure.

“A young girl,” Commander Wei observed coolly, watching Qing, “whose cultivation realm is not insignificant, yet whose poisonous heart is far more frightening.”

“Um,” Qing blinked. “Thanks for the compliment?”

“On the contrary, it is a deeply regrettable situation,” Wei continued gravely. “If only you did not bear the Tang surname—the surname of convicted traitors—you could undoubtedly have made a great name for yourself throughout the Central Plains.”

“Ha!” Qing scoffed loudly. “Who decided they’re traitors?! You’re the one throwing around baseless accusations without a shred of actual evidence! I bet your own parents must be so incredibly proud of you! ‘Oh, Son! Did you manage to successfully frame some more innocent people for treason today? Good job! Truly outstanding! Your ancestors, currently burning merrily in the depths of hell, will surely swell with pride!’”

“…What did you just say?” Commander Wei’s voice dropped several degrees, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

“What?” Qing retorted innocently. “Did you happen to get a donkey dick stuck in your earhole? Or maybe a dog dick? Hmm, since you seem to be siding with the pig-fucker over there, maybe you got a pig dick stuck in there? Is your ear canal completely plugged with dick, so you couldn’t hear me? Everyone else here heard me just fine! How could a renowned Unrestrained Realm master like yourself possibly fail to hear?”

Commander Wei’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

“Ah,” Qing continued brightly, as if suddenly remembering something important. “Regarding your parents’ burial plot? I’d strongly recommend scattering their ashes in a river or the sea instead of burying them in the ground. Considering they’re likely already burning eternally in hell for the sin of raising such a vicious, honorless child like you, maybe being thoroughly soaked in water will help lessen the heat a bit for them?”

“You wench,” Wei hissed, his voice now dangerously low, radiating killing intent, “you are truly determined to seek your own death today, aren’t you.”

Qing just snorted derisively.

“Look at the try-hard, just lowering his voice and acting tough. Unrestrained Realm master? Are you the only ear-fucked idiot at that level around here? Judging by your mouth, you’re the kind of garbage human butcher who would have already drawn his sword and started slaughtering everyone in sight by now! Why the hell have you been holding back all this time if you’re so tough?”

“You bitch,” Wei growled, his hand now hovering near his sword hilt. “You will absolutely not die easily. I will make you beg for death before the end.”

“Wow!! Did you see that?!” Qing suddenly yelled, turning dramatically towards the still-fuming Imperial Censor. “Your Excellency Censor! Did you witness that?! When you were being insulted earlier, this guy just stood there calmly saying ‘That’s enough’! But the moment I start insulting him? Suddenly he gets all angry and threatening! See?!”

The Imperial Censor was still flushed red with his own rage, but hearing Qing’s words, the look he directed towards Commander Wei turned distinctly unfavorable as well.

Qing’s point, after all, was undeniably correct.

Qing seized the opportunity created by the shifting dynamics, taking another bold step forward.

“Stop talking shit and fight me if you have the guts!” she challenged Commander Wei directly. “Fair and square. One on one. Like a real man. How about it? A life-and-death duel, right here, right now?”

Tang Nanah immediately grabbed Qing’s wrist again, panicked.

“Hey! You! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“It’s okay,” Qing reassured her confidently, patting her hand. “Just watch closely.”

Qing genuinely radiated confidence.

She was, fundamentally, someone who cherished her own life obsessively; she didn't act purely on reckless emotion.

(Of course, she couldn't exactly tell Nanah that she had already prepared several nasty little tricks and poisons from Poison Grandpa just in case things went sideways.)

“My friend was just insulted,” Qing announced loudly, striking a noble pose. “How could I possibly just stand by and do nothing? Right?”

“You… You…” Nanah stammered, utterly speechless.

It was truly a moving scene—the very image of someone bravely stepping into the jaws of death to defend the honor of a friend!

Wasn't this precisely the kind of impossibly cool, self-sacrificing hero figure that women dreamed about?

(Even if Qing technically wasn’t a man.)

Tang Nanah’s eyes glazed over slightly, completely captivated.

(Unfortunately, due to the veil Qing had just handed her, Qing couldn't see Nanah's swooning expression.)

Regardless, Commander Wei looked utterly dumbfounded.

“A mere Peak Realm wench… What did you just say?”

“I said let’s fight,” Qing repeated clearly. “How about it? One on one.”

Commander Wei let out a cold snort through his nose, his lips twisting into a cruel, evil smirk that he didn't bother to hide.

“Hah. You wench truly are determined to die today! Fine! You were the one who proposed a life-and-death duel! Since you've already spoken the words, you cannot possibly blame my hand for the outcome!”

“Good!” Qing shot back instantly. “Just make sure you don’t try to run away. If you do, you’ll have to leave that thing dangling between your legs behind!”

Simultaneously, Qing began walking forward gracefully, almost languidly.

Then, incongruously, she assumed a perfectly formal, respectful fist-and-palm salute and announced clearly:

“This junior is named Qing, and currently possesses no other alias. I have studied the Yue Maiden Sword and the Divine Maiden Divinity Palm, along with various other miscellaneous skills.”

Following the announcement, she drew her sword, smoothly flowing through a few simple, introductory forms to demonstrate basic proficiency. She then made several quick, fluid gestures with her free hand, subtly revealing a glimpse of her mastery over hand techniques.

This entire performance was part of a ritual known as the Introduction of Skills.

It was a long-standing tradition in the martial world—though Qing couldn't possibly understand why it existed—to formally introduce oneself and briefly demonstrate one's primary martial arts style before engaging in a formal duel.

For a moment, everyone present in the courtyard fell into stunned silence.

What did I just witness?

The same girl who had been spewing horrific, vulgar insults just moments ago was now acting with the perfect poise and decorum of a righteous martial heroine? Every gesture, every subtle shift of her feet, radiated a flawless grace that allowed no room for criticism.

Her previously hidden beauty, momentarily obscured by her vile words, now seemed to reassert its existence, demanding attention.

Amidst the stunned silence, Commander Wei also stepped forward and performed his own introductory ritual.

“This one is Cho Gwak. I have reached my current realm through mastery of the Imperial Grace Demon Subduing Sword.”

Simultaneously, he demonstrated a few simple introductory forms. However, anyone with decent martial knowledge could instantly recognize it as the signature Supreme Technique of the Kongtong Sect, the Demon Subduing Swordplay.

(In fact, many martial arts utilized by government or imperial forces were originally 'gifted'—or perhaps 'confiscated'—from the various Orthodox sects back when those sects served as the Imperial Court’s loyal hunting dogs.

Of course, the techniques were usually somewhat degraded or modified versions, but these manuals were all stored within the Imperial Palace’s vast library, becoming the foundation for training elite imperial forces like the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

They often renamed the techniques as well, typically adding prefixes like ‘Imperial Grace’ to obscure their origins.)

The Tang Clan elders present, knowing this history, clicked their tongues disdainfully. Qing, naturally ignorant of such nuances, instead chose this moment to deploy her final verbal trump card.

“Ah! That’s right. One more thing,” Qing added brightly, as if suddenly remembering a crucial detail. “For your reference, my esteemed Master happens to be Daoist Ximen Surin. My peers in the martial world generally refer to her as either the Matriarch or, more commonly, the Zenith Among Women.”

“…Wait,” Commander Wei faltered, his eyes widening slightly. “What did you just say?”

“Did you perhaps get that dick stuck back in your earhole again?” Qing asked sweetly. “I just stated that my esteemed Master is the Zenith Among Women, Ximen Surin. Did you not hear correctly?”

“No, no,” Wei stammered quickly. “I mean… I had not heard such information before.”

“And for your reference,” Qing continued relentlessly, “my Master specifically promised me that if any harm should befall her precious disciple while traveling, she would personally enact vengeance upon the perpetrator—tenfold—later on. So,” she concluded with a dazzling, innocent smile, “should anything unfortunate ‘accidentally’ happen to me today… you should probably expect the full, undivided fury of the Zenith Among Women to descend upon not only you, but your entire extended family down to the ninth generation. Just saying!”

Commander Wei, Cho Gwak, felt his ears ringing, his mind reeling in sudden, profound shock.

Normally, in these situations, don’t people usually say something noble like, ‘If I should fall, there will be no repercussions; do not seek vengeance on my behalf’?! Did I perhaps hear her incorrectly just now?

But Qing, while delighting in deception and manipulation, rarely told outright lies, especially when invoking her Master's name.

And regarding her Master’s protectiveness?

Surin herself had indeed frequently joked (though always with a terrifying undercurrent of absolute sincerity) something along the lines of, “Don’t worry about dying too much; I promise I’ll avenge you tenfold afterward, so don’t feel too resentful if you happen to get yourself killed.”

(However, it was a joke laced with absolute, unwavering sincerity.)

The message was crystal clear: Touch me, and the Zenith Among Women will personally hunt you down and obliterate everything you hold dear.

It was an utterly shameless threat, delivered right after formally accepting a life-and-death duel and completing the introductory rituals.

Commander Cho Gwak felt genuinely dizzy now, the situation suddenly spiraling out of control.

“H-How could a disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect possibly involve herself in the affairs of traitors?!” he blustered, trying to find some angle to escape the predicament.

“Involve myself?” Qing replied with wide-eyed innocence. “I am merely staying here as a guest! It was you gentlemen who blocked the exits, preventing me from leaving, were you not? And did you not just grievously insult my dear friend [Nanah], who is entirely innocent in this matter? I simply could not endure such injustice and stepped forward to defend her honor! This has nothing whatsoever to do with treasonous matters! Surely Your Excellency wouldn’t suggest otherwise?”

She then gestured pointedly towards Choi Leeong, who still stood impassively nearby.

“And that esteemed elder gentleman over there? He is merely my personal attendant, accompanying me on my travels. He happens to cherish me as if I were his own daughter. Unfortunately,” she added with a look of deep concern, “he is currently suffering from the frailties of old age. Therefore, should any… unforeseen… incident occur during our duel, perhaps involving him accidentally intervening… I sincerely hope Your Excellency will possess the magnanimity and understanding to overlook it.”

It was another blatant, outrageous threat—implying Choi Leeong might launch a sneak attack if the duel went poorly for Qing.

“H-How… What kind of life-and-death duel is this?!” Cho Gwak finally sputtered, utterly flustered. “How can you employ such vile, cowardly tricks?!”

“Vile? Cowardly?” Qing echoed, her voice dripping with mock surprise. “An exalted master who has reached the Unrestrained Realm condescends to accept a life-and-death challenge from a junior merely in the Peak Realm, and yet you call me vile and cowardly?”

She finished, her voice laced with undisguised contempt.

Utterly speechless, Cho Gwak could only open and close his mouth uselessly.

He simultaneously realized he had fallen completely into her trap.

This wasn't a simple life-and-death duel anymore. If he didn't manage to defeat Qing decisively yet somehow delicately, without causing serious harm or provoking her powerful backers (both Surin and Choi Leeong), the resulting fallout could potentially bring disaster not only upon himself, but upon his entire family and clan.

“Wait! This duel is invalid—!” he started to protest.

“No take-backs! Here I come!”

Qing yelled triumphantly, cutting him off mid-sentence as she launched herself forward, sword leading the way.